Mould, dirt, damp and an unlawful contract: It took the personal experience of one student to see that help was needed to inform and protect first time renters.

Putting that experience to good use, 23-year old Stephanie Marshall has produced a 22-page guide to renting for students and young people, which is entitled ‘What tenants need to do to rent’.

Stephanie, from West Bridgford, encountered problems renting whilst studying History at the University of Birmingham.

Stephanie Marshall

She said: “When I first started renting flats, I felt pretty helpless and didn’t know where to go for advice. I know that the vast majority of landlords look after their tenants but there’s a small minority who don’t and that can be a problem if you’re unaware of your rights.

Read More

“I’d come across flats that were mouldy or dirty. Moving in, we’d find broken furniture and no inventory. When things like washing machines needed fixing, the landlord was very unhelpful or uncontactable.

“There was a big problem with my landlords not following protocol. They’d not warn us when they were showing prospective tenants around and there was a lack of communication on where our deposit was stored and how and when we get this back once we had moved out.

“We’d also have flats that didn’t have the legal number of bathrooms for the amount of students in a house and one landlord who decided to build an extension right in the middle of exam season.”

Read More

After collaborating with property expert Kate Faulkner, she has written the guide to give young renters a better understanding of their rights as tenants as well as guidance on seeking help should something go wrong.

It has been funded by the TDS Charitable Foundation.

Stephanie added: “I hope my guide will show tenants that they do have rights. If the conditions aren’t satisfactory then something should be done.

“The report also helps to give advice on what costs can be expected when renting and a checklist for when moving out of rental accommodation. It should be a go to guide for any queries about renting.”

Kate Faulkner said: “It was useful to have a student’s input into this report as Stephanie has recent first-hand experience of the difficulties faced when tenants and landlords are not fully aware of where their responsibilities lie.

“Most landlords are aware of their responsibilities and abide by rules, but often tenants don’t know what to look for in an agent or landlord as well as what they are entitled to.

“By producing reports like this one, we hope to help everyone in the private rented sector get the service they deserve, creating happy and successful tenancies.”